Catherine‚ the Princess of Wales‚ known by many as Kate Middleton‚ released an official apology after sparking outrage online for photoshopping a photograph of her and her children for the U.K.’s celebration of Mother’s Day. The photo quickly began trending on social media after it dropped on Sunday‚ with many pointing out that parts of the photo were clearly photoshopped.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales) Several news agencies that had posted the photo removed it Sunday night after determining it had been edited by its source‚ namely‚ Kensington Palace‚ the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. “At closer inspection‚ it appears that the source has manipulated the image‚” the Associated Press announced in its “kill notification.” (READ MORE: The Crown’s Surprisingly Touching Finale) Catherine apologized via Instagram on Monday‚ explaining that “[l]ike many amateur photographers‚” she “do[es] occasionally experiment with editing.” “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused‚” she added.  Where Is Kate? The photo marked the first official sighting of Catherine since she underwent “planned abdominal surgery” in January. The princess was hospitalized for 13 days and has canceled all public engagements until “after Easter‚” according to a statement from Kensington Palace. With Catherine remaining out of the public eye for the longest period of time since her marriage to William‚ the Prince of Wales‚ conspiracy theories about the state of her health and her recovery have quickly begun to spread like wildfire across social media.  The photoshopped photo has certainly not helped. In fact‚ on X‚ formerly known as Twitter‚ “Kate Middleton” has been trending for over 24 hours‚ with 170‚000 posts as of today. “[T]he kate middleton drama is perfect for those of us who would like to sound insane to their coworkers in meetings today‚” wrote one user on X‚ whose post now has 47‚000 likes. Others have been posting their concerns about the state of Catherine’s relationship with William. “Really enjoying this Kate Middleton stuff because this is the kind of investigation work I do in private whenever I think any couple I even vaguely know might have broken up‚” another user wrote. Not everyone‚ however‚ found the editing of the photo concerning. “I can’t believe the ludicrous fuss over lightly altered Royal photo‚” posted Allison Pearson‚ a journalist for the Telegraph. “The Princess of Wales had a very serious operation. She’s not through it yet. Give her time to make a full recovery.” Yet even the Babylon Bee‚ the popular satirical site‚ couldn’t resist picking up the story. “Prince William Insists Royal Family Photo Untouched‚” the Bee posted jokingly.  Prince William Insists Royal Family Photo Untouched https://t.co/1hUGiAUjWs pic.twitter.com/nLoDPNFwpZ — The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) March 11‚ 2024 The Palace has not yet released word on when Catherine will return to the public stage‚ but one hopes that‚ for social media’s sake‚ we’ll see her in person again soon. The post Rumors About Kate Middleton’s Health Gain Fuel After Palace Photoshop Fail appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.